A visit to the Lewis Carroll Society (and maybe a museum or two)

By Kasey

About to begin!

Last Friday, the Redoubt's lovely resident historian, Victoria, spoke to the Lewis Carroll Society at the Art Workers Guild in London about Carroll's time in Eastbourne. She was approached by the Society following a blog post about last year's exhibition at the Redoubt, which featured Carroll's bespoke desk from 7 Lushington Road - a desk that we initially thought he used for writing in bed, but may actually have been placed on top of another desk to allow him to write standing up. One of many character defining features of a master literary characterizer.

Victoria's talk was very well received, and evoked enthusiastic discussion. Having shared her research on what Eastbourne meant to Carroll, many members in attendance reciprocated in kind by telling us stories from their own research - stories that reflected a fascination with many piquant facets of Carroll's life. We left knowing a lot more about him, and we hope he would have been moved by the affectionate and deeply respectful interest taken in him and his work. We're so grateful to the Society for inviting us and for making the evening one to remember.



Sir John Soane, by Thomas Lawrence

Being museum professionals in London, it was only right that we allotted some time beforehand to visit a museum, and the one we chose was Sir John Soane's Museum on Lincolns Inn Gate, the beloved former home of prominent neo-classical architect, Sir John Soane (1753-1837). His architectural achievements include the Bank of England and The Dulwich Picture Gallery, seminal manifestations of the neo-classical style. He was also the official architect to the Office of Works, and served as a professor of architecture at the Royal Academy. The talent behind his legacy - comprising paramount success and the support of various highly esteemed friends (such as JMW Turner) - is, however, most illumined by his home, which he was keen to share with everyone, free of charge.

Hoping to inspire future generations, Sir John requested that on the event of his death, parliament would ensure that the house and the collection were handed over to the Board of Trustees and preserved for the public exactly how he had left them. And to this day, his wishes have been respected. The interior remains a cavernous labyrinth of sculptural, architectural, and artistic curiosities.



Photo of Sir John Soane's Museum, courtesy of Victoria Lambert

We were completely in awe of what we saw. And part of what made the experience so memorable for us was that we had no idea what we were walking into, so we're loathe to give too much away. The outside is elegant, but unassuming, offering no cause to expect the disorienting spatial intricacies and the sky-scraping mosaic of objects inside. No descriptions or pictures will ever quite do it justice. To understand it for what it is, you really just need to see it.



John Flaxman, 'Bust of William Pitt'
© Sir John Soane’s Museum, London

The collection boasts a plethora of objects, but one of especial note to us is the plaster model of John Flaxman's commemorative sculpture of William Pitt the Younger - Sir John's friend and occasional commissioner, who also happened to implement the defensive coastal strategy during the Napoleonic Wars, which of course included the Redoubt here in Eastbourne.

As on our outing to Hever Castle back in December, we expected to learn something from this museum that we could take back to the Redoubt. If we learned anything on this visit, it was that exteriors can often be deceiving (sounds cliché, but so true) and that historic buildings cannot help but tell the stories of the people who lived within them. Whether it's the home of a famous architect or a coastal fortress, buildings speak to us through a tactile language - one that historians and researchers and your very own Heritage Eastbourne staff are working hard to translate in order to share their stories.

Be sure to come and discover these stories when we open on 20 March, 2017. Victoria will also be giving her Lewis Carroll talk on 17 June as part of Heritage Eastbourne's Culture & Cake series, held on the third weekend of each month from April - September. All tickets can be purchased here.